Growing up in the Midwest, dinner just wasn’t dinner without some type of meat. When I met my husband he was a Vegetarian and had been for 7 years. It was an interesting concept to me, I mean I love vegetables but never considered a meat free diet. I dove into the task of creating veggie centered meals and two years later I found myself a vegetarian by circumstance. As much as I enjoyed being a vegetarian and discovering new foods, I missed the many flavors that a great piece of protein had to offer. So, now as two reformed carnivores, we still incorporate meat free dinners three or four times a week.
As I surveyed the options I decided on Chickpea burgers, though my husband knows them as Veggie Burgers due to his weird aversion of chickpeas. Call me sneaky but he loves these burgers and wouldn’t even give them a try if they were labeled “Chickpea”, so that can be our little secret.
I love these burgers due to their versatility; I make 6 burgers at dinner and can have lunch or even a re-purposed dinner with the leftovers throughout the week. Enjoying them as a burger on the first night, on top of rice the next and possibly even in a soup or veggie stew. These little patties are packed with protein and are a great meat replacement.
Veggie “AKA Chickpea” Burgers
1 Can (15 ounces) of Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1 ½ Carrot
2 cloves of Garlic
¼ of a large Onion
3 or 4 springs of Thyme (removed from stems)
1tsp of paprika
¼ cup of Bread Crumbs
½ cup of Flour (plus extra for forming patties)
¼ cup of fresh parsley or cilantro
1 Egg
Begin with heating up your grill pan, thinly slice carrots and onion and place on grill pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill for about 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and place in a food processor or blender. Add all remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper and pulse. I prefer a rather chunky burger, so pulse is a better option for me but feel free to blend/process to your liking. If your mix seems too runny, add flour a tablespoon at a time until you reach your preferred consistency. Lightly flour your working space, form 6 burgers, lightly flouring each side. This makes it much easier to form as well as stay intact during cooking. Lightly drizzle your grill pan with olive oil or spray with a cooking spray. Cook on each side for 5 to 7 minutes at medium heat or until you have nice grill marks and the burger is warmed all the way through. Once you have flipped your burger you can add the cheese of your choice.
Before removing the burgers lightly toast your buns. I then top the burgers with our favorite Verde Salsa from Trader Joe's but the other options could be; avocado, lettuce, tomatoes.
*This recipe is very adaptable, I often substitute the carrots with red peppers or any other vegetable I have on hand at that time. Keep your burgers on the thin side about ½ inch or the texture will be a little off.*
I hope you enjoy this light alternative to a heavy burger.
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